This invention relates to a stake for use with plants. The stake is suitable for use with plants located in pots, and it will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to this particular application. It should be appreciated however that the invention has wider application.
Stakes have numerous uses in horticulture including stabilizing plants during their development or relocation, and presenting display objects such as plant labels or advertising material. In both these situations, it is preferred that the stake be serviceable in that it can accommodate forces transverse to its longitudinal axis without excessive displacement occurring at the stake free end.
Stakes previously have been formed from solid timber or plastic and are pushed into the soil adjacent the plant with a plastic coated wire tie used to attach the stake to the plant, or display object. This arrangement is rather labour intensive to install, mainly as a result of the tie, and can be ineffective in particular in relation to retaining a display object at the free end of the stake as the object tends to slide down the stake. Furthermore, the wire tie can tend to surround rather than engage the trunk whereby movement of the stake or trunk can lead to bruising of the trunk. Still furthermore, it would be preferred to reduce the amount of material required to produce the stake whilst not adversely affecting the serviceability of the stake.
According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a stake for use with plants including:
a foundation means for stabilizing the stake being locatable in a relatively fixed position near the plant;
a foundation stem extending from the foundation means, at least a portion of the foundation stem being hollow;
a holding means for holding the plant or a display object, the holding means being associated with the foundation stem and remote from the foundation means.
The forces required to be accommodated by the stake will be predominantly transverse to the longitudinal axis of the stem. The material forming the stem at or immediately adjacent the axis thereof would have minimal effect in resisting the predominant transverse forces acting on the stem. Accordingly, a relatively serviceable stake can be produced with a hollow stem. It should be appreciated that by making the stem hollow, the amount of material required to produce the stake can be reduced and therefore so can the cost of the stake.
The stake preferably includes an extension stem having a further holding means remote from the foundation means. The extension stem is preferably hollow. The extension stem may be formed integrally with the foundation means or foundation stem. Alternatively and preferably, the extension stem is formed independently of the rest of the stake. It is preferred that the extension stem is releasably connectable to the foundation means or foundation stem.
The stake preferably includes a connection means having a male connecting member associated with the foundation stem or foundation means and a female connecting member associated with the extension stem at a connecting end of the extension stem remote from the further holding means. Alternatively, the stake preferably includes a connection means having a female connecting member associated with the foundation stem or foundation means and a male connecting member associated with the extension stem at a connecting end of the extension stem remote from the further holding means. The holding means of the foundation stem and/or extension stem preferably includes one or more holding devices. The holding device may be a plant holder for holding a plant having an arm extending from the foundation stem and/or the extension stem with a plant surround located at a distal end of the arm, the plant surround is in the form of at least a partial helix which in use accommodates the trunk of the plant. The helix is preferably resilient to urge the helix to engage the trunk. It is preferred that the arm include a hinge to allow the arm to be angled in a direction transverse to the foundation or extension stem. The hinge is preferably resilient to urge the arm to align with the longitudinal axis of the stem to facilitate urging the plant surround to engage the trunk of the plant.
Alternatively the holding device may be for holding a display object, the display object having an aperture into which the display holder is inserted to locate the display object in a display position, the holding device having restricting means for restricting movement of the display object when in the display position. The restricting means preferably includes a pair of similarly angled surfaces located on opposite sides of a display holder having upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces respectively, the surfaces limiting axial and pivoting movement of the display object relative to the display holder. The restricting means further preferably includes a pair of wings located adjacent the angled surfaces for engagement by the display object, the wings providing lateral stability to the display object. The restricting means also preferably includes limiting means for limiting rotational movement of the display object relative to the display holder, the limiting means being located at a distal end of the upwardly facing surface which engages an edge of the display object.
The foundation means preferably includes a retention means being co operable with a plant container containing the plant for impeding removal of the stake when positioned near the plant. The retention means may include a head, neck and body connected to the head by the neck, for insertion into a control zone of a container, wherein the insertion of the head into the control zone causes resilient deformation of the head and/or control zone to allow passage of the head through the control zone. Alternatively, the retention means includes a lip engaging member which in use engages a lip of the plant container. The foundation means may also include a fin member having a pair of bearing surfaces for location within the soil surrounding the plant. The foundation means may also include a junction means extending from the retention means and/or the fin member having a rim engaging surface for engaging the rim of the container to facilitate stabilisation of the foundation means.
It is preferred that the foundation means and/or the junction means is hollow.
According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a stake for use with plants including:
a foundation means for stabilising the stake being locatable in a relatively fixed position near the plant;
a foundation stem extending from the foundation means;
a plant holder for holding the plant, the plant holder being associated with the foundation stem and remote from the foundation means, the plant holder including a plant surround in the form of at least a partial helix which in use surrounds the trunk of the plant at least partially.
The plant holder preferably includes an arm extending from the foundation stem, the plant surround being located at the free end of the arm. It is preferred that the arm include a hinge to allow the arm to be angled in a direction transverse to the foundation or extension stem. The hinge is preferably resilient to urge the arm to align with the longitudinal axis of the stem to facilitate urging the plant surround to engage the trunk of the plant. The helix is preferably resilient to urge the helix to engage the trunk of the plant.
The stake preferably further includes an extension stem with a further plant holder or a display holder. The extension stem is preferably formed integrally with the foundation means or foundation stem. Alternatively, the extension stem is formed independently of the rest of the stake. It is preferred that the extension stem is releasably connectable to the foundation means or foundation stem. The stake preferably includes a connection means having a male connecting member associated with the foundation stem or foundation means and a female connecting member associated with the extension stem at a connecting end of the extension stem remote from the further plant holder or display holder. Alternatively, the stake includes a connection means having a female connecting member associated with the foundation stem or foundation means and a male connecting member associated with the extension stem at a connecting end of the extension stem remote from the further plant holder or display holder.
The display holder is preferably for holding a display object, the display object having an aperture into which the display holder is inserted to locate the display object in a display position, the display holder having restricting means for restricting movement of the display object when in the display position. The restricting means preferably includes a pair of similarly angled surfaces located on opposite sides of a display holder having upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces respectively, the surfaces limiting axial and pivoting movement of the display object relative to the display holder. It is further preferred that the display holder includes a pair of wings located adjacent the angled surfaces for engagement by the display object, the wings providing lateral stability to the display object. It is further preferred that the display holder also includes limiting means for limiting rotational movement of the display object relative to the display holder, the limiting mans being located at a distal end of the upwardly facing surface which engages an edge of the display object.
The foundation means preferably includes a retention means being co operable with a plant container containing the plant for impeding removal of the stake when positioned near the plant. The retention means may include a head, neck and body connected to the head by the neck, for insertion into a control zone of a container, wherein the insertion of the head into the control zone causes resilient deformation of the head and/or control zone to allow passage of the head through the control zone. Alternatively, the retention means includes a stake wherein the retention means includes a lip engaging member which in use engages a lip of the plant container. The foundation means may also include a fin member having a pair of bearing surfaces for location within the soil surrounding the plant. The foundation means also preferably includes a junction means extending from the retention means and/or the fin member having a rim engaging surface for engaging the rim of the container to facilitate stabilisation of the foundation means.
The foundation means, junction, foundation stem and/or extension stem may be hollow. The stake is preferably formed from a plastic material using a gas injection method.